Bruins call up Matt Fraser, send down Justin Florek

Winger Matt Fraser has been called up to the big club from Providence, with Justin Florek shipped back down to the AHL. Fraser is eligible to play in Thursday's Game 4 in Montreal.

By Dan CagenDaily News staff

Down 2-1 in their second-round series, the Bruins are making a move to Providence as they search for more offense.

Winger Matt Fraser has been called up to the big club from Providence, with Justin Florek shipped back down to the AHL. Fraser is eligible to play in Thursday's Game 4 in Montreal.

Fraser is a pure shooter who scored 20 goals in 44 games for Providence this season and has 90 goals in three AHL seasons. He's known for having a outstanding shot.

However, in 14 games with Boston this season, Fraser rarely put that on display. He had difficulty getting open to release his shot and scored just two goals in 14 games.

Fraser was sent back to Providence on Jan. 12 and, while missing a month with a knee injury, worked on creating space. He had three goals in the P-Bruins' five-game victory over Springfield in the first round of the playoffs.

Florek has been a healthy scratch the last two games.

There are several options for inserting Fraser into the lineup. The Bruins' first and fourth lines have struggled in this series, while the second and third lines have controlled the puck and dominated their matchups. The third line of Daniel Paille, Carl Soderberg and Loui Eriksson has played with speed and had good zone time against Montreal.

Fraser won't be taking Milan Lucic or Jarome Iginla's spots. Fraser could replace Jordan Caron or Shawn Thornton on the fourth line, adding offense to the unit but not much of a guarantee that the line would be better. That would allow the third line to stay intact and keep working on Montreal's third pairing of Mike Weaver and Douglas Murray.

Alternatively, Fraser could play on the third line with Paille dropping back down to his usual Merlot line spot. That would bring the Merlot line back to its best combination, but could short-circuit the third line by inserting a rookie with no NHL success to speak of.